The Lonely Iron Dragon
by brixxen
Summary: One Shot. The Iron Dragon Gajeel is content being alone away from humans until a little blue hair girl stumbles into his mine and changes his life forever. OOC Gajeel. Cover image credit to applibot inc.


A/N: Hello! This is my first creative piece in almost 7 years so I apologize if the writing is a bit rough. Please review. I encourage constructive criticism, ideas, etc. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tale.

"Levy! Please don't go down there, Levy!" Droy yells as the 6 year old Levy ventures further into the open iron mine. It was dusk and the workers had gone home for the day. Levy, Droy and Jet dared each other to go to the mine as the sun set but the boys were having second thoughts.

"C'mon guys! It's so cool down here." Levy calls over her tiny shoulder and she runs her hands over the hard rock wall. It jetted up over 10 feet above her on both sides and the sky was just a slit above her. The passage was wide at her height but went steeper as it reached the sky. It was an open face mine that was being re-excavated in hopes of finding more iron.

She heard Droy and Jet call for her from the shafts' entrance. Man they could be such scaredy cats...Levy rolls her eyes and heads deeper into the passageway. She was mesmerized by the different layers of stone and tried naming the different eras for each. It was only when she couldn't hear the boys anymore that she turns and sees that they were out of sight. Levy sighs and turns to head back towards them when a rumbling from the ground sends her into a panic. She scrambles towards the entrance as the ground shakes with an earthquake; common in their town but the mines were flimsy and never held their structure.

"I'm coming!" She yells. She had wandered so far into the mine. the entrance was so far away. Rocks were falling around her and the tops of the passageway were crumbling. The quake made running hard and her short legs couldn't keep stable. Her foot catches on an upturned stone and she crashes to the ground just as the passageway folds in around her; Jet and Droys cries echoing in her ears.

Warmth surrounds her. She inhales slowly confused when dust didn't clog her lungs. The quake had stopped but she could still feel a rumbling next to her. She opens her big brown eyes slowly only seeing blackness at first. A gust a air from above blows down on her and she looks up into large crimson eyes.

They were the size of her head and she saw her reflection in them as they stared down at her calmly. The air was coming from just above her head from large nostrils. Levy had never seen a dragon before but she always believed they existed. Something so magical couldn't be a lie. So many books couldn't have lied about them.

She reaches up and strokes the side of the large snout. The scales were cold like metal yet gave off heat like a body. She was mesmerized by it.

"Are you harmed, Little One?" A deep, growling voice enters her mind and she gasps and falls backwards.

"You can really talk...I knew the stories didn't lie." Levy whispers and stares up at the massive creature in awe.

The dragon's head leans down examining her. "Did you know I was here, Child?" He asks and she shakes her head slowly.

"No sir. I was just exploring with my best friends. OH! Oh no! Jet and Droy, are they okay?" She jumps to her feet and finally takes in her situation. All around her was dragon. One of his massive wings was spread over top like a canopy and his body and tail curled around her in a protective cocoon.

"You...saved me? Why? How?" The dragon carefully moved his wing so all the rocks and dirt it was holding up slide off and to the side. Levy looked up and saw the night sky with so many stars shining down. And here she was with a real dragon. Could her luck get any better?

"I was watching you down the passageway when the quake started. This is one of my roosts. I am the Iron Dragon Gajeel!" He growls and stands up to his full height, chest puffed out. Levy stared up at him and watched as the stars light shown on his metallic scales. It almost looked like he was shimmering. His whole body was silvery except for the long black mane going down his entire backside to the tip of his tail. He was magnificent.

"Levy!" A screech from behind brought her back to reality as she turned and saw Jet and Droy waving to her frantically.

"Guys! This is my new friend, Gajeel!" She calls and waves happily. They stare at her blankly.

"They cannot see me." Gajeel looks down at her almost sadly. "Most people don't see dragons anymore. We have become myth and are slowly ceasing to exist in the human mind." His blood red eyes glint in the moonlight and Levy feels an immense sadness for him. She knew what it was like to be ignored. Her parents never paid attention to her and so she had turned to books for her friends. Jet and Droy were great but never shared her interest in reading. They would rather ditch school and play video games. It just wasn't her thing.

"I see. That makes sense." The dragon makes an odd sound akin to a laugh and his tail swishes around. That must be a happy sign like with dogs, Levy thinks and giggles.

"Wait, you can read my thoughts?" Levy asks in further awe. The dragon nods and then looks over at her friends. They weren't coming nearer for some reason.

"You should return to your friends little one. Even though they cannot see me their human nature tells them there is an unknown element and they are in a stand still of what to do. Most people avoid that sensation. Some search it out but are met with emptiness. They cannot see what their mind does not believe to exist." Levy nodded slowly.

"But I have so many questions!" Levy stands back to look up at Gajeels massive face. His upper lip curls back in a cheeky grin showing long canines and glistening white teeth.

"You know where to find me. Where ever there is iron I will be nearby. It calls to me and it fuels my life force." He leans down and she reaches up to stroke his eye ridge.

"My name's Levy and I will be back! Thank you Gajeel." She smiles and runs back to Jet and Droy who had no idea what to make of her story afterwards.

For once, Levy was thankful her parents didn't pay attention to her. She was able to sneak off every afternoon after school to meet Gajeel at the mine. She usually found him on the hill next to it, overlooking the site like a guardian.

She met him every day for months. He was her best friend and she couldn't share him with anyone. She tried telling Jet and Droy and even her parents after a while but they looked at her blankly and said to stop reading so many fairy tales.

It was getting close to Christmas and Levy was laying on Gajeels front paw to keep out of the snow. She was nose deep in a book about dragon history and Gajeel was resting his head next to her, content. She was able to talk to Gajeel about anything. He never treated her like a child and never scoffed at her ideas. He talked to her like she was his peer. Levy relished in the feeling.

"Gajeel?"

He grunts in response, opening one crimson eye to look at her.

"This book says dragon's used to walk among humans. Living human lives. How is that possible?" Her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Dragons can take on human form if we choose but we must always have our element on us to preserve our life force. Without iron there would be no me." He growls in her head.

"Then why don't you become human and then you won't be so lonely?" She questions and leans back against his leg.

"Because I enjoy being out here. The human world is so crowded and noisy. Out here it's just me and nature. No noise, no crowds."

"But it's not just you anymore. You have me now!" Levy laughs and hugs his leg with her tiny arms. He grins toothily at her.

"That is true but you aren't noisy for one. Second..." He trails off and looks up at the sky in thought. He did that sometimes; get lost in a far off memory. She wished she could read his mind like he could hers. He told her he was almost 400 years old. That's a lot of memories to keep.

Levy smiles. "That's true. I like it out here. I can read and talk about whatever I want and you won't say I'm silly or that I shouldn't think about those things. My mom always tells me I'm not a proper 6 year old. I shouldn't be interested in reading or learning yet. I should be having normal fun and playing with kids my age. They don't understand at all and they don't believe in dragons..." Levy trails off becoming sad as her bitter thoughts hang in the air.

Gajeel nudges his snout against her and she giggles. "It is hard to be different Levy but being different is what sets you apart from the crowd." She runs her small hands up his snout, tracing an outline of scales. He closes his eyes and a small humming rumbles in his throat making her laugh.

"Thanks Gajeel." She nestles back against his leg as she continues her book with the last rays of sunlight.

She arrives home that night to find her parents at the dining table waiting for her. Levy immediately senses something's up. Her parents never wait up for her when she's out. What's going on?"Levy dear we need to talk." Her mom says gently.

"Come over here sweety. Don't look so frightened. We have exciting news!" Her dad laughs and pats the seat next to him. She sits down and looks at them both curiously.

"Your father got that job in Magnolia so we are moving! They needed him to start right away so you and him will be leaving tomorrow with some essentials packed and I'll meet up with you in a few days with the moving truck." Her mom gushes excitedly and they kiss each other before turning back to a silent Levy.

Moving? Now? Levy's brain could not process the information. It was so sudden. She had to tell Gajeel!

She gets up quickly. "I have to tell Gajeel. I'll be back!" She is reaching for her coat when her parents intervene. "Sweety, we have allowed you to have this imaginary friend but lets start fresh in the new city and get you some real friends." Her mom says slowly and her father nods.

"Gajeel isn't imaginary Mom! He's a dragon. He's the Iron Dragon Gajeel!" Levy cries for the thousandth time. They would never believe her and now she was moving and couldn't tell him? What would he think?

"Levy, that is enough! Go to your room and pack some clothes. You'll be starting the school year in the middle of the year but I'm sure you'll make friends fast. The area is really nice and we can get you in some clubs and school activities." Dad puts his foot down and that was that. End of discussion.

Levy turns and runs into her room and cries until she falls asleep.

10 years later

"Over here Levy!" Lucy calls from the bleachers with Wendy and Natsu. It was sophomore year and Levy wondered where the time went. She runs up to them and snags the empty spot next to Lucy.

"Thanks for saving me a spot Lu." She steals some popcorn and turns to watch the football game. Magnolia High was amazing. Their academic program was challenging and offered multiple tiered classes for different proficiency levels. She was always feeling challenged. Her parents had thrown her in a dozen clubs and activities when they moved and she was so busy the time just flew by until now she was on her way to graduating high school.

"Hey Levy, wanna go to the market with me tomorrow? I want to find a new top for my date with Natsu." Lucy whispers and Levy nods. The market was a great place to shop. It was outdoors and had tons of vendors. She always found interesting books there. Especially around christmas time, the vendors pulled out all the stops and had so many interesting items. It rarely snowed in Magnolia and Levy always felt sad around this time. Her memories of before Magnolia were distant and trying to remember them always filled her with sadness so she pushed them aside to focus on the present.

The market was a busy swarm of people as usual. Parents rushing to find last minute christmas gifts for their kids and couples shopping for each other. Levy always wondered what it felt like to like someone in that way. She always watched Lucy and Natsu but their relationship seemed so foreign to her. The only form of love she understood was the type written down in her books. But still, she followed her best friend around the market pretending to look for tops that would make her look even more pretty than she already was.

A booth of old books drew her in and she slipped away from Lucy to investigate. Her fingers drifted over the old spines and paused on one that seemed familiar. It was on the history of dragons. Dragons...she had known one once. But it's been so long he's probably forgotten her. She frowns as the sadness surfaces again. He probably hates humans even more now after she abandoned him.

"Gajeel..." She whispers sadly and turns away. Her parents had forbade her to return to their little town and being a kid she could do little in retaliation. She frowns and walks back towards Lucy who was modeling a light blue sundress.

Lucy notices the attitude change of her friend instantly. Levy's default was smiling and happy but something at the bookstore had her frowning. Her brown eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Levy? What's wrong?"

"Ah, just remembered a friend from my old town." She says quietly and turns to fondle the nearest piece of clothing, keeping her face averted. This was not the time to be sad. She needed to help Lucy for her date. Even if she wasn't interested in anyone she could at least be a good friend and help her out with her relationship. She already screwed up the one meaningful relationship in her life. Special things like that don't come every day and she had blown it.

She looks up at the darkening sky not really seeing it. Did he move on to a different town? What was he doing now? Was he still alone? Her heart ached at the thought of the iron dragon sitting on his hill alone every day.

"Levy!" Lucy is waving her hands frantically. The blue sundress gripped in one hand. "Let's get back to the dorms before it starts raining." Levy nods and follows her friend through the market. The crowds were thinning as the weather turned darker but she barely noticed. She hadn't allowed herself to think of her old life in years and now the abandonment and sadness washed over her like a tidal wave.

At the edge of the town was their dorm building. Levy waves at Lucy to go on ahead as she continues down the road. Lucy looks after her with concern but leaves her be. If she needed to be alone then she wasn't going to intrude.

There wasn't much beyond their dorm building except a few scattered shops and eateries. Large wooden signs swung on their metal rungs as the wind whipped up the street. People were running back to their homes and storekeepers were closing down early. The freak storm had everyone scrambling around Levy to get indoors.

Oh Gajeel...if only I had been older. I could've stayed and never left your side. I could've kept you company until you got tired of me or had to move on. I would've followed you if you let me.

"Oy! Watch your head!" A shout from her side brought her back to reality in time to hear the splintering of wood from a shop sign up ahead. The wind kicks the carved board and broken metal rod straight at her and all she can do it gap, frozen in place.

A black gloved hand enters her vision and she is roughly pulled into a large, warm body. Strong arms encircle her small figure and her face in pressed up against a hard chest. Her savior grunts as the wood and metal slam into his back before flying up and continuing down the now deserted street.

The danger was passed but her savior didn't move. She heard his rough breathing close to her ear and wondered why she wasn't pulling away. He smelled of metal and earth and his body heat wrapped her in a warm blanket she didn't want to leave.

Reluctantly they both decide to part at the same time and Levy looks up to thank her rescuer. The words get stuck in her throat as her eyes meet a piercing crimson stare. The man is at least three feet taller than her and his chiseled face is framed by a mane of unruly black hair. Her eyes trace over the iron rivets adorning his face and ears, numbly wondering why her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest. It couldn't be him. The odds were unbearably against her.

Her eyes return to his and they search her face for recognition. His body was rigid and his whole demeanor was tense as if to run. "Levy...?" Her heart pounds as his deep voice penetrates her entire being.

"It is you, Gajeel." Tears spring into her eyes and she flings herself at him in a frantic hug. It was really him.

His whole body relaxes against her. "I finally found you Little One." He says softly against her ear as his strong arms encircle her and pull her closer.

She looks up at him and tentatively raises her hand to his face, letting her fingers trail down the piercings along his nose. "You were looking for me this whole time?" She whispers in disbelief. He nods slowly and leans down resting his forehead against hers.

"Promise you'll stay close to me from now on Little One." He says softly.

Levy smiles happily through her tears and whispers, "I promise."


End file.
